Engineering Workshop
Cormac McGonigley, a former student, now qualified engineer, visited the school to do an Engineering Workshop in conjunction with Steps Engineering. The children had great fun building their wind turbines and their towns. They developed their ability to think like an engineer, work in groups and meet a deadline. There’s no doubt we have some future engineers on our hands!
FAI Primary Schools Futsal 2019.
Well done to our 3rd and 4th class students who participated in the Futsal Soccer Blitz in Mucklagh Community Centre on Monday 25th November. We had a boys team and a girls team and they both played four games each.
The boys had a fantastic day and came away unbeaten and the girls were extremely competitive in all their games resulting in a win, two draws and a loss. The most important thing was everyone participated and enjoyed themselves.
We are so very proud of how they conducted themselves on the day also. They were great ambassadors for the school.
The boys had a fantastic day and came away unbeaten and the girls were extremely competitive in all their games resulting in a win, two draws and a loss. The most important thing was everyone participated and enjoyed themselves.
We are so very proud of how they conducted themselves on the day also. They were great ambassadors for the school.
A message from Miss Flynn's room!
This is our message to each other as we start a new school year together................
Hedgehogs with Regina!
We were delighted when parent and artist, Regina Bradley, offered to come and share her talents with us. Regina showed us how to make book sculptures of hedgehogs. The instructions were really clear and we worked carefully and produced art work that we are really proud of. Thanks so much Regina.
Credit Union Quizzes
Our junior and senior teams competed in the Kilcormac Credit Union quiz and we were lucky that both teams made it through this round and went on to compete in the chapter finals in Athlone. Well done everyone!
3rd Class Lines and Angles
We were learning about lines and angles and identifying angles that were greater than, less than or equal to a right angle. To help the children learn in a practical and visual way, we made these angles using lollipop sticks and glue. They could create their own shapes and label the angles they had created!
Making Puppets!
We were extremely lucky to have been visited by a very talented man who came to show us how to make puppets! The simple lesson was fun, enjoyable and a successful experience for all the children.
Our Hurricane Project
Due to our experience of Hurricane Ophelia this past September, we thought it would be a a great opportunity to learn about hurricanes, how they form and the effect it has on people and places. We worked in groups on the iPads to search for specific information e.g. where it hit, the highest wind speed, what category it was, the fatalities etc. The children had great fun searching and taking notes of the important, relevant information and then presenting it to the rest of the class.
Acids and Bases and Mini Explosions!
In our science lessons during the month of May we were learning about liquids and chemicals and how they are either an acid or a base. We learned how you find out whether it is acidic or basic and were able to list some common household items that are on both lists. We wanted to test what would happen if you mixed an acid with a base and whether there would be any reaction.
We had been learning about volcanoes in our History lessons at the time too and so we decided to make a volcano and try to make it erupt by adding an acid and a base together. We used clay and plastic bottles for the volcano and we put baking soda, fairy liquid, red food colouring and vinegar inside the volcano once it was ready.
Here are some picture of the children working on their experiment!
We had been learning about volcanoes in our History lessons at the time too and so we decided to make a volcano and try to make it erupt by adding an acid and a base together. We used clay and plastic bottles for the volcano and we put baking soda, fairy liquid, red food colouring and vinegar inside the volcano once it was ready.
Here are some picture of the children working on their experiment!
Project Work
We decided it was time to get to know about some other European countries and because of the strong Polish population in Ireland at present, we thought this would be a good place to start!
The first job for the children was to divide into pairs and do their research on the iPads. The following headings were researched: Fact File, Geography, Physical Map, Food, History, Sport, Culture, Language, Culture and Flag.
They had to prioritise the information they found and include only what they felt was relevant or informative.
They organised and wrote out their findings, stuck them onto their card and included some pictures. At the end, each pair had the opportunity to present their project to the rest of the class and answer any questions their classmates might have had.
It was a very successful and worthwhile project and they used lots of skills during the process.
The first job for the children was to divide into pairs and do their research on the iPads. The following headings were researched: Fact File, Geography, Physical Map, Food, History, Sport, Culture, Language, Culture and Flag.
They had to prioritise the information they found and include only what they felt was relevant or informative.
They organised and wrote out their findings, stuck them onto their card and included some pictures. At the end, each pair had the opportunity to present their project to the rest of the class and answer any questions their classmates might have had.
It was a very successful and worthwhile project and they used lots of skills during the process.
Ms. Killeen's Surprise Visit
Our music teacher Ms. Killeen paid us a visit with her new baby girl. The children were delighted to meet her and some of them were lucky enough to get a cuddle!! Thank you Ms. Killeen for the lovely surprise!
Hands on fun!
The children had fun investigating the absorption properties of nappies some weeks ago! They worked in pairs and some were given a cheap brand to investigate and others were given Pampers, the more expensive brand. They cut up the nappies, removed the fluff and collected it in a jar. They added water, bit by bit and observed what happened.
On a separate occasion, we had visitors from Dublin who came to the school to talk to the children about energy and the conservation of energy. It was a hands on workshop, which everybody loved and at the end of the lesson, the children had to work in pairs to create their very own oven using a cardboard box, tinfoil and clear film.
Here are some photos of them doing all this fun, practical work!
On a separate occasion, we had visitors from Dublin who came to the school to talk to the children about energy and the conservation of energy. It was a hands on workshop, which everybody loved and at the end of the lesson, the children had to work in pairs to create their very own oven using a cardboard box, tinfoil and clear film.
Here are some photos of them doing all this fun, practical work!
iPad Fun
Thanks to the fantastic fundraiser held in November 2015, the school was able to purchase iPads. They provide a fun and interactive way for the children to engage with material. They are a great way to consolidate what has been learned. Here are some photos of the children enjoying the maths apps!
Science
The children enjoyed a science lesson where they had to work in groups to design and construct a vehicle that would roll, but also sail like a boat in the breeze.
A table was placed at the back of the room with various materials for them to choose from e.g. card, paper, toilet paper, hand towel, straws, lollipop sticks, blue tac, sellotape, rollers, string etc. A hairdryer was used in place of the breeze. If the vehicle didn't roll/sail once the air was applied to it, they had to go back to their tables and discuss why it didn't work and what they might need to change to fix it. They learned a great deal from this lesson, most of all, that things don't always have to work the first time and that trial and error is a big part of science and investigation.
Their end products were all different and the thought process behind each creation was very interesting. Look at them hard at work!
A table was placed at the back of the room with various materials for them to choose from e.g. card, paper, toilet paper, hand towel, straws, lollipop sticks, blue tac, sellotape, rollers, string etc. A hairdryer was used in place of the breeze. If the vehicle didn't roll/sail once the air was applied to it, they had to go back to their tables and discuss why it didn't work and what they might need to change to fix it. They learned a great deal from this lesson, most of all, that things don't always have to work the first time and that trial and error is a big part of science and investigation.
Their end products were all different and the thought process behind each creation was very interesting. Look at them hard at work!
Orienteering
The children enjoyed an orienteering lesson with Mrs. Bracken and it was clear that they love a good mystery! They divided into teams and worked together to read the map and find the clues hidden around the school. The anagrams were recorded as they found them and once they returned to the classroom they had to work them out. Everyone was successful! I think we'll have to make it more difficult for them next week!
Art
Since the 2016/2017 school year has begun, we have been keeping very busy! The children love Friday evenings because it's their chance to get stuck into some art work! We have focused on drawing and clay for the months of September and October. Here are some samples of the work we have done!!
